From the thermal glass igloos at this hotel, you can watch the Northern Lights shimmer overhead. The resort also has log cabins, each equipped with a sauna. To get out into the woods, try dogsledding behind a team of huskies.
Where can you check in to this igloo hotel?
A. Norway
B. Estonia
C. Finland
Where can you find this sunken village?
A. Italy
B. Liechtenstein
C. Austria
The snowiest place in the world (where snowfall is measured) has an average annual snowfall of 641 inches and once got a whopping 1,122 inches of the white stuff. To reach this outpost, hikers brave one of the most dangerous volcanoes in the United States, which last erupted in the 19th century.
Where is this place with a heavenly name?
A. Alaska
B. Colorado
C. Washington state
In this national park, winter brings "tykky,” or frozen snow deposits,, which create a surreal landscape of arching spruces. It’s not far from one of Europe’s well-known Santa Claus villages, where St. Nick supposedly resides.
Where is this fairy-tale forest?
A. Finland
B. Germany
C. Switzerland
The country’s highest peak towers over a landscape of glaciers, dazzlingly blue lakes, and the world’s largest non-polar icefield. This region was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979 for its scenic beauty and ecological significance. It’s also popularly known as the “Mountain Kingdom.”
Where is this glacial wonderland?
A. Greenland
B. Canada
C. Iceland
Wild macaques flock to the natural hot springs of the “Hell Valley,” so called for the steam rising from the pools. The monkeys will also huddle together over thermal vents to stay warm.
Where can you see the snow monkeys soaking?
A. Aleutian Islands
B. Japan
C. Mongolia
The observatory on this mountain peak calls itself “Home of the World’s Worst Weather.” (And it should know, since it’s the world’s oldest weather station.) Hardly a month goes by when it’s not pelted with snow or hail, smothered in fog, and whipped by incredibly strong winds. It logged a wind speed record in 1934 with gusts measuring 231 miles per hour.
Where can you feel the brunt of the world’s worst weather?
A. Russia
B. United States
C. Antarctica
Heli-hikers love exploring this glacier, which is one of only three in the world that descends into a temperate rainforest. One of the glacier’s names means “tears of the snow maiden.” Legend has it that once upon a time, a young woman’s true love died in an avalanche here; as she wept over him, her tears formed the glacier.
Where is this unpredictable terrain?
A. Denmark
B. Patagonia
C. New Zealand
The “polar bear capital of the world” is one of the only communities on earth where you can see these giant creatures in the wild. The best bear-viewing times are in October and November, when about a thousand polar bears migrate to this area. But as climate change affects the ecosystem here, the bears arrive later in the fall; they must wait for ice to form before they begin their seasonal hunt for seals.
Where is this polar bear capital?
A. Canada
B. Finland
C. Antarctica
For about seven months of the year, the 270,000 residents of the world’s coldest city bundle up in fur and navigate through freezing fog. The entire city is built on permafrost, or permanently frozen ground. In January, the thermometer regularly drops to minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit.
Where is this frigid city?
A. Siberia, Russia
B. Northeast Iceland
C. Yukon, Canada
When flying to this research station, you’ll land on a blue-ice runway. About 250 people hold fast through the winter, as residents count up their “ice time” in the world’s largest desert. One of their annual foot-races has a toasty prize: The winner gets a five-minute hot shower (more than double the usual allotment of hot water).
Where is this frozen desert?
A. The North Pole
B. Greenland
C. Antarctica
Artists work for weeks in anticipation of this annual festival, turning blocks of ice into towering sculptures, slides, and replicas of famous buildings, all illuminated with colorful LED lights once the sun sets.
Where is this winter wonderland?
A. South Korea
B. Japan
C. China
In this national park, geothermal features such as geysers and hot springs look even more dramatic when they’re surrounded by snow. Bison often cluster near these features, where the snow doesn’t get too deep. The animals nudge and shovel the snow aside with their bulky heads to forage for grass beneath.
Which national park is this?
A. Yosemite National Park
B. Glacier National Park
C. Yellowstone National Park
From this town you’ll have a spectacular view of the “roof of Europe,” a famously tempting challenge for mountaineers. Nearby is a fast-moving glacier, where an elaborate grotto is carved every year to let visitors climb inside the ice.
Where is this legendary mountaineering locale?
A. France
B. Finland
C. Austria
This classic alpine village looks like it belongs in a snow globe, but it’s also one of the European jet set’s favorite ski resorts. Near the village yawns the Glacier Gorge, a ravine known for its striations of pink and green marble, carved by the namesake glacier and its meltwater.
Where is this renowned ski resort?
A. Italy
B. France
C. Switzerland
More than 40 vast glaciers spread over this national park, notable for its jagged mountain peaks and glacier-fed lakes. The park is an especially good place to see glaciers in motion. It’s one of the rare places in the world where glaciers are advancing, and a few glaciers regularly carve icebergs into the country’s largest freshwater lake.
Which national park sees this much glacier action?
A. Los Glaciares National Park, Argentina
B. Glacier National Park, United States
C. Westland Tai Poutini National Park, New Zealand
A cog-wheeled railway trundles up the mountainside to give visitors a panorama of three massive glaciers from the “top of Europe.” More than 11,000 feet above sea level, you’ll find ice sculptures, dog-sled rides, and even a chocolate shop. Check the weather before you ascend, to make sure it’s clear enough for good views.
Where is this high-altitude view?
A. Austria
B. Denmark
C. Switzerland
This country’s Waterfall Circle is one of its main attractions, and while the waterfalls are lovely in summer, they become just as breathtaking in winter, when they freeze into dramatic shapes. It’s a starkly beautiful landscape of ice and black volcanic rock. This region was also the site of the country’s first, open-air version of a parliament.
Where are these waterfalls?
A. Ukraine
B. Wales
C. Iceland
This town sits within the Arctic Circle and is one of the world’s best places to see the Northern Lights. The “polar night” season from late November through late January is prime time, when the Aurora Borealis might appear anytime between 6 p.m. and midnight. Here the shimmering lights mostly appear green, with occasional flares of pink or white.
Where can you watch this enchanting light display?
A. Iceland
B. Norway
C. Finland
When it opened in 1997, this ice park was the first of its kind, devoted to the sport of ice climbing. Its gorge was known for ice climbing before the park began, and its natural frozen waterfalls are now supplemented with nightly watering, creating an ever-changing series of climbing routes.
Where is this alpinists’ playground?
A. Colorado
B. Utah
C. California
